Pat’s testimony discusses his experience as psychiatric patient. Pat was labeled with a number of different conditions and never felt he truly identified with any. Pat explains despite his efforts to be a compliant patient, he was not treated with the same respect back and was carelessly sent from one doctor to another. Pat overcame his condition and suicidal thoughts with no thanks to the mental health system, but owed his success to the support groups he found where he was able to share his story with others in similar situations.
Click here to view the text source of Pat's testimony.
Joe’s testimony describes his mental health experience as an inpatient and outpatient with psychiatric drugs and coercive treatment. Joe was seeking mental health care in order to understand his feelings better and reduce his constant anxiety attacks. Joe found the system did little to help, as it did not treat people on an individual basis, instead it looked at all mentally ill patients the same way and focused on masking their condition rather than trying to fix it.
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PSAT SOURCES & TESTIMONIES
PSAT: PHOENIX RISING
The Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto is an institution dedicated to preserving the rich history of people who have experienced psychiatric and medical system abuse in Toronto and the wider community of Canada. It is a resource centre from which people can learn, share and contribute.
Click here to listen to an audio clip of Pat Risser's testimony.
Click here to listen to an audio clip of Joe S. Baletta's testimony